“You might haunt the courts for two weeks at a time and never see a professional criminal on trial,” Drew went on. “And yet eighty-five per cent of crimes are committed by professional criminals, men and women with records, who make a business of crime, who haven’t any other occupation, who don’t want any other, who wouldn’t know what you meant if you asked them to settle down and live an honest life. In this city one person out of every three hundred is a professional criminal. Think of it! Three hundred people go to work every day, work hard, save their money, raise their children in a decent manner, look ahead to old age; and here is one man who robs them, beats ’em up, burglarizes their homes, disgraces their children. And the irony of it all is, the whole three hundred can’t catch that one man and lock him up. Be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.”
“I suppose,” said Johnny, “it’s because the city is so big.”
“Well, perhaps.” Once more the young officer’s voice dropped. “It’s discouraging. And yet it’s fascinating, this detective business. There are boys, lots of them, who think crime is fascinating. They read those rotten stories about Jimmy Dale and the rest, and believe them. I tell you, Johnny!” He struck the table. “There never was the least touch of romance in any crime. It’s mean and brutal, cowardly and small. But hunting down these human monsters. Ah! There’s the game! You tell of your white bears, your wolves, your grizzlies. Fascinating, no doubt. But compared with this, this business of hunting men, there’s nothing to it!” He took a long breath and threw his arms wide.
“I believe you,” said Johnny with conviction. “I wish I might have a part in it all.”
“Don’t worry. You have made a good start. You are to be a witness.”
“That—why, that’s nothing.”
“Nothing, is it? You wouldn’t say so if you had seen witnesses kidnapped, bribed, beaten, driven out of town, murdered by the gangs that all but rule us. A good witness. That’s all we need, many’s the time. And lacking him, the case is lost.
“You won’t fail us?” he said in a changed voice.
“I won’t fail you. When the trial comes up I’ll be there.”
“Of course.” Drew’s tone was reassuring, “I don’t want you to become unduly frightened. Pickpockets don’t band together much. We seldom have trouble once they are caught. It’s the robbers, the hi-jackers, the bootleggers. They are the ones.”